Waterways
Carry Antibiotic Resistance
U.S. waterways have become a major
reservoir of bacteria that are resistant to the most widely used antibiotics
and can spread to wildlife and people.
References:
Ash, R.J., et al. 1999. Antibiotic-resistant bacteria in U.S.
rivers (Abstract Q-383). In Abstracts of the 99th General Meeting
of the American Society for Microbiology (May 30-June 3):607.
Chicago.
Bennett, J., and G. Kramer. 1999. Multidrug resistant strains of
bacteria in the streams of Dubuque County, Iowa (Abstract N-86). In
Abstracts of the 99th General Meeting of the American Society for
Microbiology (May 30-June 3):464. Chicago.
Eichorst, S. . . . M.L. Tischler. 1999. Antibiotic resistance among
bacteria isolated from wild populations of resident Canada geese in
a suburban setting (Abstract Q-402). In Abstracts of the 99th General
Meeting of the American Society for Microbiology (May 30-June
3):610. Chicago.
Sternes, K.L. 1999. Presence of high-level vancomycin resistant enterococci
in the upper Rio Grande (Astract Q-63). In Abstracts of the 99th
General Meeting of the American Society for Microbiology (May
30-June 3):545. Chicago.
Further Readings:
1998. Protecting the Crown Jewels of Medicine. Washington,
D.C.: Center for Science in the Public Interest.
1997. The medical impact of the use of antimicrobials in food animals.
Report of a WHO meeting. October. Berlin. Available at http://www.who.ch/emc/diseases/zoo/zoo97_4.html.
Brown, D. 1999. Drug resistance in food chain. Washington Post
(May 20):A2.
Raloff, J. 1998. Livestock's
role in antibiotic resistance. Science News 154(July 18):39.
______. 1998. Drugged waters. Science News 153(March 21):187.
Schouten, M.A., A. Voss, and J.A.A. Hoogkamp-Korstanje. 1997. VRE
and meat. Lancet 349(April 26):1258.
Smith, K.E., et al. 1999. Quinolone-resistant Campylobacter
jejuni infections in Minnesota, 1992-1998. New England Journal
of Medicine 340(May 20):1525.
Wu, C. 1999. Beyond vancomycin. Science News 155(April 24):268.
Additional information can be found at the Reservoirs of Antibiotic
Resistance Network's Web site at http://www.healthsci.tufts.edu/apua/roarhome.htm
and at the Alliance for the Prudent Use of Antibiotics' Web site at
http://www.healthsci.tufts.edu/apua/apua.html.
Sources:
Ronald J. Ash
Washburn University
Department of Biology
Topeka, KS 66621
John Bennett
Clarke College
1550 Clarke Drive
Dubuque, IA 52001
Stuart B. Levy
Tufts University
School of Medicine
Department of Molecular Biology and Microbiology
Center for Adaptation Genetics and Drug Resistance
Boston, MA 02111
Richard Novick
New York University Medical Center
550 First Avenue
New York, NY 10016
Keith L. Sterns
Sul Ross State University
Department of Biology
Mailstop Code C-64
Alpine, TX 79832
Monica L. Tischler
Benedictine University
Department of Biological Sciences
5700 College Road
Lisle, IL 60532
From Science
News, Vol. 155, No. 23, June 5, 1999, p. 356.
Copyright © 1999, Science Service.
